A trucker was killed after police opened fire on him following an “extremely dangerous” chase just outside of Los Angeles on Wednesday.
The incident happened on June 22nd just after midnight in San Bernardino.
According to KTLA 5 News, police initially received calls reporting a semi truck driving the wrong way on the 210 Freeway, so officer responded to the scene and the chase began. The pursuit continued for about an hour as the driver entered the 10 Freeway, plowing head-on through oncoming traffic.
Eventually, with the help of a helicopter informing officers on the ground of the runaway trucker’s whereabouts, officers were able to put a road block in place, so the driver attempted a U-turn. As the trucker attempted the U-turn with the large vehicle, officers realized he was not giving up, and eventually opened fire on the driver. It is not clear what exactly prompted the shooting at the end of the chase.
Video captured at the scene shows officers performing CPR on a person lying on the highway next to the semi truck, and four bullet holes can be seen in the windshield of the rig.
No officers were injured in the incident, but the eastbound lanes of the 10 Freeway were shut down into Wednesday afternoon as officials investigated the scene. It is unclear whether there was a passenger in the rig during the chase, but video does show officers detaining a man who bandaged at the scene.
“A big rig is something that’s very difficult to stop once momentum is going, so we’re fortunate that the vehicle did come to a stop and no one else was injured,” California Highway Patrol Officer Ramon Duran said.
“We’re not talking about a small vehicle. We’re talking about a big rig here,” the officer said. “What could have happened could have been catastrophic. Obviously we’re fortunate that no innocent victims were injured during this incident.”